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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I know it is a bit early in Spring to be talking about ice cream but we just made the BEST chocolate chip ice cream this week.

I can't really take credit for it since it is just the basic no cook vanilla ice cream recipe we always use and the addition of one premium ingredient.

Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Company is an artisan chocolatier based in Nashville. They make artisan chocolate from "bean to bar" and the result is nothing short of amazing. Southern Living agreed and declared them America's best chocolate.

One of their products is a Smoked Nib Brittle. They have Ghana cacao nibs smoked in the legendary wood stove smokehouse at Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams. Then they hand craft this obscenely good chocolate brittle. It has the bittersweet flavor of dark chocolate, the sweetness of sugar, and the subtle kiss of smoke.

And THAT is the premium ingredient. I just put it in a Glad zipper bag and break it into small pieces and transform ordinary vanilla ice cream into an amazing smoky chocolate chip ice cream.

Fortunately, we can get Olive and Sinclair locally at Strawberry Fields Market on Sutherland Ave. But guess what! I was surprised to find that Olive and Sinclair ships to small markets in 21 states and British Columbia. [Store Locator]

Smoky Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: none

Ingredients (1 1/2 quarts)

2 tsp bourbon vanilla extract

2 cups half and half

2 cups heavy cream

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup Olive and Sinclair Smoked Nib Brittle, crushed

Instructions

Mix together the first four ingredients.

Pour into the prepared ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.

As the ice cream begins to firm up*, pour in the crushed chocolate brittle and finishing freezing.

*For the Cuisinart ice cream (ICE-20) that we use, this is right at about 20-25 minutes.

Get your calendars out and let's talk 2013 East Tennessee
Blogger Get Together again.

We
are doing a Hawaiian Luau themed get together this year. Hawaiian style pork, huli huli chicken, and a slew of island style sides will be on the menu.

Date: Sunday, May 26, 2013 Rain or Shine

Time: Noon until whenever everyone leaves. We will eat around 1:30 PM

Who: Anyone who is willing to make the trip is
welcome and of course, bring your significant other!

Where: Larry's place on Tellico Lake which is about
35 miles southwest of Knoxville, TN.

Dress: Island if you can.

As mentioned, we will be serving Hawaiian, Island fare. We will be asking for a small donation
(approximately $10 per person) to cover the cost of the meat. We won't know exactly how the donation will
be until we have a final attendance count.

We
will provide tea and soft drinks and island concoctions but please feel free to
BYOB.

RSVP:
To Larry grandpop1@yahoo.com by May 5, 2013.

Final
directions will be provided to the individuals who RSVP they are attending.

Katherine, Larry and I are getting really excited because this little get together we
started back in 2010 as it has grown every year and we have always had a memorable time. So mark your calendars
and plan on joining us for a good food and good time with your blogger friends

I was looking for a good no-egg vanilla ice cream recipe earlier this week and I wish I had known about this then! Ah well, I'll just have to keep it in my mind for next time I have 15 leftover brownies and no idea what to do with them! That brittle sounds awesome by the way. I'm totally into the idea of adding smoke to my desserts lately!

Like you, I'm not much of a dessert fan, but I could eat a bucket of ice cream. We've got a local chocolate shop that makes all kinds of wonderful flavored chocolate. You've just given me a great idea.